{"id":7227,"date":"2024-12-03T08:42:28","date_gmt":"2024-12-03T08:42:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=7227"},"modified":"2024-12-03T08:42:28","modified_gmt":"2024-12-03T08:42:28","slug":"grading-lakers-players-after-terrible-80-109-performance-against-timberwolves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=7227","title":{"rendered":"Grading Lakers Players After Terrible 80-109 Performance Against Timberwolves.."},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"m-detail-header--dek\">The Minnesota Timberwolves blew out the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night, and none of the players wearing Purple and Gold put in impressive performances.<\/div>\n<div class=\"m-detail-header--flexbox\">\n<div class=\"m-detail-header--meta\">\n<div class=\"m-description--list\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/fadeawayworld.net\/.image\/t_share\/MjExMTI5MzY3MTA1OTA2MTY0\/anthony-davis.jpg\" alt=\"Dec 2, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) dribbles against Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) in the second quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images  \" \/><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>The\u00a0Minnesota Timberwolves showcased a dominant defensive performance in their 109-80 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night, holding their opponent to its lowest scoring output in years.\u00a0Julius Randle\u00a0led the Wolves with 18 points, while\u00a0Rudy Gobert\u00a0added 17 points, 12 rebounds, and key defensive plays that disrupted the Lakers\u2019 offensive flow.<\/p>\n<p>Despite an off night from\u00a0Anthony Edwards, who managed just eight points on 3-for-13 shooting, The\u00a0Timberwolves&#8217;\u00a0depth compensated with Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker contributing 15 points each. The Wolves capitalized on their defensive intensity, scoring 20 fast-break points and shooting 42.9% from beyond the arc (15-for-35).<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0Lakers, coming off a narrow victory over Utah the night before, looked fatigued and out of sync.\u00a0LeBron James\u00a0continued his shooting struggles, finishing with just 10 points on 4-for-16 shooting, including 0-for-4 from three, extending his streak of missed 3-pointers to 19.\u00a0Anthony Davis\u00a0recorded 12 points and 11 rebounds but was neutralized by Gobert, who disrupted numerous possessions.<\/p>\n<p>D\u2019Angelo Russell,\u00a0returning to the starting lineup after illness, was a rare bright spot for Los Angeles with 20 points. However, the Lakers were undone by 20 turnovers and a lack of energy against a relentless Minnesota defense.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-b not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-0\">\n<div class=\"m-in-content-ad not-size-a not-size-b not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-0\" data-zone-count=\"3\">\n<div class=\"not-size-a not-size-b not-size-d m-in-content-ad is-empty not-filled\">\n<div id=\"ad-in_content-7f731bf0b79a463fa0049cba4eac2cde\" data-google-query-id=\"CPGvtduYi4oDFWmH6QUdIFEJWg\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Minnesota set the tone early, building a double-digit lead and maintaining control throughout. For the Lakers, now 12-9, the game served as a stark reminder of the work needed to find consistency and rhythm as the season progresses. Let&#8217;s grade the Lakers players after a rather putrid performance.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"mm-horizontal-rule mm-horizontal-rule--hr1\" \/>\n<h2 id=\"d-angelo-russell-b\">D&#8217;Angelo Russell: B+<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Stats: 20 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks, 3 turnovers, 2 fouls, 8-12 FG, 4-5 3PT FG, 0-0 FT, 34 mins<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>D&#8217;Angelo Russell was the lone bright spot for the Lakers in an otherwise dismal showing. He scored efficiently, hitting 8-of-12 shots and 4-of-5 from deep, and added 5 assists. Despite a few turnovers and lapses on defense, his offensive contributions kept the Lakers from an even larger blowout.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"mm-horizontal-rule mm-horizontal-rule--hr1\" \/>\n<h2 id=\"anthony-davis-c\">Anthony Davis: C+<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Stats: 12 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 0 steals, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 4-14 FG, 0-2 3PT FG, 4-4 FT, 33 mins<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Anthony Davis recorded a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds) but struggled mightily against Rudy Gobert&#8217;s interior defense. His 4-of-14 shooting highlighted his inefficiency, and while he made all his free throws and contributed 5 assists, his overall impact was muted in a game where the Lakers desperately needed him to dominate.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"mm-horizontal-rule mm-horizontal-rule--hr1\" \/>\n<h2 id=\"rui-hachimura-c\">Rui Hachimura: C+<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Stats: 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 0 blocks, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, 4-5 FG, 0-1 3PT FG, 2-2 FT, 29 mins<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Rui Hachimura was efficient offensively (4-of-5 FG) and added 10 points with 4 rebounds and 2 assists. His two steals added defensive value, but he didn&#8217;t assert himself enough offensively or defensively to make a significant impact.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"mm-horizontal-rule mm-horizontal-rule--hr1\" \/>\n<h2 id=\"lebron-james-c\">LeBron James: C<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Stats: 10 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks, 6 turnovers, 1 foul, 4-16 FG, 0-4 3PT FG, 2-4 FT, 31 mins<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>LeBron had a rough night, scoring just 10 points on 4-of-16 shooting, extending his poor shooting streak from deep (0-of-4). His 6 turnovers were costly, and though he grabbed 8 rebounds and dished 4 assists, his energy and decision-making were below his usual standard.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"mm-horizontal-rule mm-horizontal-rule--hr1\" \/>\n<h2 id=\"dalton-knecht-c\">Dalton Knecht: C<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Stats: 6 points, 3 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 3-8 FG, 0-5 3PT FG, 0-2 FT, 28 mins<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Dalton Knecht contributed 6 points on 3-of-8 shooting, but his 0-of-5 mark from three hurt the Lakers&#8217; spacing. He added 3 rebounds but was mostly invisible in stretches, unable to provide the offensive spark the team needed.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"mm-horizontal-rule mm-horizontal-rule--hr1\" \/>\n<h2 id=\"gabe-vincent-c\">Gabe Vincent: C<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Stats: 5 points, 1 rebound, 0 assists, 2 steals, 0 blocks, 0 turnovers, 2 fouls, 2-5 FG, 1-4 3PT FG, 0-0 FT, 22 mins<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Vincent scored just 5 points on 2-of-5 shooting, including 1-of-4 from beyond the arc. He made two timely steals but failed to impact the game meaningfully on offense or in playmaking.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"mm-horizontal-rule mm-horizontal-rule--hr1\" \/>\n<h2 id=\"max-christie-c\">Max Christie: C<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Stats: 5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 steals, 0 blocks, 2 turnovers, 0 fouls, 2-9 FG, 1-7 3PT FG, 0-0 FT, 21 mins<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Christie had a rough night shooting, finishing 2-of-9 from the field and 1-of-7 from three. He contributed 5 points, 2 rebounds, and an assist, but his inefficiency on a night when the team needed scoring was glaring.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"mm-horizontal-rule mm-horizontal-rule--hr1\" \/>\n<h2 id=\"armel-traore-c\">Armel Traore: C<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Stats: 4 points, 3 rebounds, 0 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 2-4 FG, 0-1 3PT FG, 0-0 FT, 15 mins<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Traore showed flashes with 4 points on 2-of-4 shooting, adding 3 rebounds, a steal, and a block in limited minutes. However, his turnovers and fouls reflected his inexperience, and he struggled to stay impactful against Minnesota&#8217;s physicality.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"mm-horizontal-rule mm-horizontal-rule--hr1\" \/>\n<h2 id=\"cam-reddish-c\">Cam Reddish: C<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Stats: 2 points, 1 rebound, 0 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks, 0 turnovers, 1 foul, 0-1 FG, 0-1 3PT FG, 2-2 FT, 11 mins<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Cam Reddish played just 11 minutes and scored 2 points on free throws, missing his only field-goal attempt. While he contributed a steal, his lack of involvement offensively limited his grade.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"mm-horizontal-rule mm-horizontal-rule--hr1\" \/>\n<h2 id=\"maxwell-lewis-n-a\">Maxwell Lewis: N\/A<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Stats: 4 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks, 1 turnover, 0 fouls, 2-3 FG, 0-0 3PT FG, 0-0 FT, 8 mins<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In limited action, Lewis scored 4 points on 2-of-3 shooting and added 2 assists and a steal. His energy was a small bright spot, but his minutes were too few for a full evaluation.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"mm-horizontal-rule mm-horizontal-rule--hr1\" \/>\n<h2 id=\"christian-koloko-n-a\">Christian Koloko: N\/A<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Stats: 2 points, 2 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 1-2 FG, 0-1 3PT FG, 0-0 FT, 8 mins<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Christian Koloko managed 2 points and 2 rebounds in 8 minutes. Like Lewis, he played limited minutes and couldn&#8217;t contribute much to a struggling Lakers squad.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Minnesota Timberwolves blew out the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night, and none of the players wearing Purple and Gold put in impressive performances. The\u00a0Minnesota Timberwolves&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7228,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Grading Lakers Players After Terrible 80-109 Performance Against Timberwolves.. - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=7227\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Grading Lakers Players After Terrible 80-109 Performance Against Timberwolves.. - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Minnesota Timberwolves blew out the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night, and none of the players wearing Purple and Gold put in impressive performances. The\u00a0Minnesota Timberwolves...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=7227\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-12-03T08:42:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/2-25.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=7227\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=7227\",\"name\":\"Grading Lakers Players After Terrible 80-109 Performance Against Timberwolves.. - 24\/7 News America\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=7227#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=7227#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/2-25.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-12-03T08:42:28+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-12-03T08:42:28+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=7227#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=7227\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=7227#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/2-25.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/2-25.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":800},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=7227#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Grading Lakers Players After Terrible 80-109 Performance Against Timberwolves..\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"24\/7 News America\",\"description\":\"Breaking Stories, Real Insights&quot;\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914\",\"name\":\"Admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Admin\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?author=2\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Grading Lakers Players After Terrible 80-109 Performance Against Timberwolves.. - 24\/7 News America","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=7227","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Grading Lakers Players After Terrible 80-109 Performance Against Timberwolves.. - 24\/7 News America","og_description":"The Minnesota Timberwolves blew out the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night, and none of the players wearing Purple and Gold put in impressive performances. The\u00a0Minnesota Timberwolves...","og_url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=7227","og_site_name":"24\/7 News America","article_published_time":"2024-12-03T08:42:28+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":800,"url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/2-25.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=7227","url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=7227","name":"Grading Lakers Players After Terrible 80-109 Performance Against Timberwolves.. - 24\/7 News America","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=7227#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=7227#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/2-25.jpg","datePublished":"2024-12-03T08:42:28+00:00","dateModified":"2024-12-03T08:42:28+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=7227#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=7227"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=7227#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/2-25.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/2-25.jpg","width":1200,"height":800},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=7227#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Grading Lakers Players After Terrible 80-109 Performance Against Timberwolves.."}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/","name":"24\/7 News America","description":"Breaking Stories, Real Insights&quot;","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914","name":"Admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Admin"},"url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?author=2"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7227"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7227\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7229,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7227\/revisions\/7229"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}